Reading about pilgrimages and viewing the images shown in class cause one to really contemplate the value of them. Unfortunately the value is lacking in the United States. The pilgrimages discussed in Victor and Edith Turner’s Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture are still an everyday occurrence. Pilgrimages to places such as Our Lady of Guadelupe and Our Lady of the Remedies are common practice and considered a must do in the lifetime of members of certain sects of religion in Mexico.
People glorify these religious pilgrimages. People of all ages are taken along the journey. As they proceed from town to town, the townships contribute food and water to the journeyers. The entire trail becomes an environment of communitas. Even those who are not participating, who are just residents along the road, join along the commonness and help the travelers achieve their goals.
In the United States, the excitement regarding a pilgrimage is much, much less. Granted there are the people who live along the trail and embrace helping the travelers. This is clearly evident of the Appalachian Trail by witnessing and hearing the documentaries and trail journals telling about the great individuals who help them along their journey, but mainstream America rejects the idea of a pilgrimage. Even the man who attempted to walk the Appalachian Trail to benefit St. Jude’s was given a timeframe of one hundred days by his boss and wife to complete the trail or suffer the consequences. Because of this many of the thru hikers of the trail are at a liminal moment of their life. They seem to either be about to enter the workforce or have recently been retired or fired from their careers. Thus, it appears an industrial nation is much less focused with the well-beings of individuals and more about each individual’s production and output.
No comments:
Post a Comment